Fated To Love You
by xXxgossipgirlxXx
Summary: Annabeth Chase, a not-so-perfect girl, only wants to make her father proud and make up for a mistake she had done five years ago. And Ladies' Man, Percy Jackson, only wants to be accepted by his family for who he is. What happens when Annabeth meets Percy in an unwanted vacation? Will someone finally love her imperfections?
1. Prologue

_**Fated To Love You**_

_To Gaile and Niccs_

_And to those who believe in _

_Fate and taking chances._

* * *

><p>…<em>Could you be the one so we'd equal two?<em>

_And this is all based on a lucky chance_

_That you would rather add then subtract…_

_**Prologue**_

The sunset was beautiful today.

The skies were filled with colors coming from the sun—pink, violet, and blue. Music filled the air; waves crashed in the sea. I walked around hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

Nothing.

I wadded through a sea of people watching the twilight.

The sound of heels clicking on pavement. The smell of salt in the breeze. The sting of tears in my eyes. The echoing in my head.

"_If you would allow me to court you, then meet me in the caldera tonight at 8:00 pm."_

_Why?_ I thought.

It was already 9:51; I was at the most romantic place in the country and I was alone.

I expected this night to be vibrant and filled with surprises, instead I ended up crying on a wall with a broken heart.


	2. Chapter One

_**Chapter One**_

I've always found jogging and a cup of freshly brewed coffee in the morning a great way to start my day, which is why I made it part of my daily routine.

The sun was shining over New York City as I jogged past the street and into a small café. I was a regular costumer here so they always knew what I wanted—coffee. Angelica, the cashier, greeted me as I jogged in.

"Hi Miss Annabeth, good morning!" She said as she got a small white cup. No need to cite my order.

"Hi, Lyka! How are you?" I said, jogging stationary.

"Fine, we're fine." She replied and gave me my coffee which I drank in five seconds. "Here you go." I handed her the payment.

"Bye. Thank you." And I was out the store.

* * *

><p>"Have you finished doing the income projection? How about the budget for 2011-2013?" I said over the phone while brushing my teeth. I just got out of the shower and immediately called my secretary. "I'm sorry, which one?" he asked.<p>

Toothpaste foam dripped from my mouth. "The one we talked about yesterday."

"Oh..._that._" _I'm screwed. _"Almost ma'am."

"Well, I want it finished when I get there. And be ready for our presentation later, okay? Bye." I hanged up the phone and had the water running out the sink.

* * *

><p>I was in my room doing several things at once—getting dressed, talking to the phone, and watching our housekeeper mime in front of me, asking if I'd brushed my teeth.<p>

"Hello, Robert? Yes, yes—", I nodded to my nanny. _Gosh, she's so distracting!_ "—please tell Mia to photocopy them." Nanny went out.

I closed the blinds and let the towel under my arms fall down. "Tell her to make it colored. Dad wants to review all the marketing materials so he could see the exact design."

"Yes, Miss Chase."

* * *

><p>I was having breakfast when the phone rang the second time this day. Josie picked it up and passed it to me. "Hello? It's Robert again." Then my phone rang too. She answered again. "Hello? Hello, sir!" she turned to me. "It's your brother." I put down the phone and got my cell from her. Then, believe it or not, my <em>other <em>phone rang too. "Hello? Hello!" she looked at the screen and smiled sheepishly at me. "Nothing, just a text message."

After having my breakfast and answering a series of phone calls, I finally got out of the house and got into my car.

I was on my way to work when dad's secretary called me. "Miss Annabeth, you have a 9am presentation with Sir Frederick's guests, please don't be late." I checked the time: 8:20. "Also make sure that you have your AVP ready so he won't be humiliated."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, please tell him I'll be there before 9 o'clock. Bye, Shannon. Bye!" I said quickly and dismissed the call. Shannon can be pretty annoying. Always been a total suck-up to my dad who talks too fast for my liking.

Finally, I reached my destination, SS Holdings. I parked and got out of my car, carrying my bag together with folders and envelopes.

I bumped someone from my team on the way to my office. "Hi Juniper!"

"Good morning, Miss Annabeth!" she said as we made our way up the stairs.

"Are we ready?" I asked.

"I had no time to consult you. I made some revisions on our staffing and compensation plan." Giving that she had more experience than me, I nodded.

"Let me see."

She explained," We really need to give incentives to people to increase their productivity."

My team greeted me as soon as I entered our workstation. "Good morning, ma'am."

"Hello. Good morning!" I smiled at them. My teammates are very close to me so I treat them like family. "Good morning. Are we ready?"

One of them came up to me holding out a green folder. "Miss Chase, here are the samples you requested."

"Samples? Let me see." I reached out my hand. "Is this what you did yesterday? Nice job!"

"Gomez! Gomez, what's up? No, no, no! Tell them we cannot postpone anymore." A voice coming from outside said.

Luke. My brother walked in with a phone in his hand. "Okay, okay. Bye."

"Good morning, sir." They greeted

"Hi Luke!" I smiled.

"Good morning!" He greeted back. "So you're ready?"

"Yes, ready?" I turned to my team. "Yes, yes. Yes, of course!" Then back to him."We're ready!"

"Good." He looked at his watch. "The meeting will start in 10 minutes. Dad's already in the parking lot." He proceeded but said over his shoulder, "I'll see you all in the board room."

His last statement made the butterflies in my stomach go wild. "Robert, you need help? Are you okay?" I rattled going all over the room. "Miss Chase, here are the samples."

"Guys, okay go! Only 10 minutes left, guys!" I looked at Juniper. "You take charge." And I was out the room.

* * *

><p>"You know I really like the brochure." Luke said.<p>

The meeting had already started and I was sitting across from him and beside my dad, who was on the head of the table. I sipped from my coffee cup.

"It's clean, it's attractive…" he mused. "It's the kind of material that would really be effective for the clients of the Triant Towers." He smiled at us, "It's really nice, guys. Good work. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

It was my father's turn to speak. I held my breath. _The moment of truth._

"It's nice, but I think the production cost is too high for these materials." I should've known. He never liked anything I did. "Even the maintenance cost for the website is too expensive…while your projected ROI is small."

All of my team members' heads were bent and I was trying hard not to do the same. My brother looked at me sympathetically.

My father continued, totally unaware of our feelings. "You even reduced the quota for the sales agents and managers."

"Miss Juniper recommended it." I tried to defend our project. "Her opinions are usually on target because she is more experienced and knowledgeable in this field than me."

"That may be true." He said and focused his stare on her, words like knives. "But her opinion is just an opinion." He turned back to me. "How about you? Do you agree with her opinion?"

I glanced at Juniper before answering. "Yes, sir."

"Did you even study these materials?"

He got me there. I looked at my brother. He raised his eyebrows as if to say _yes, tell him yes_. But dad already spoke. "Annabeth, lowering your standards and expectations to your people only breeds mediocrity." I looked away, I couldn't take it anymore but he just kept going on. "Do you really think you are helping them by raising their pay and incentives? If this company cannot raise the funds to finance you proposals, we will all lose."

I nodded at him, looking for a reply "I'll review all the—" But he cut me off…as usual.

"Revise your entire plan and present it to me on Monday. And I also want you to submit an initial market research for our condotel in Los Angeles."

Luke spoke up. "But dad, Annabeth's going to Greece next week."

"What?"

"We told Shannon." He turned to her. "Shannon, did you not tell him?" Dad looked at her too. She smiled sheepishly and said, "Sorry."

Luke continued, "No, it will be too late. I will take over as project head."

But my dad just said, "Coordinate with your team." I nodded. "And I expect your revised marketing plan and budget to be a thousand times better than the one you gave today."

Luke just looked at me. I gave him a sad smile. _That's how dad is._

"Is there anything else?"

"No, sir." I cleared my throat. "No, sir."

"You may leave now." He said without looking at me.

"Let's go." I told my team quietly and then I went out trying hard not to let the tears fall.


	3. Chapter Two

_**Chapter Two**_

Disappointment.

That was what I felt the moment I left the board room. I tried to keep my tears at bay as I passed through hallways and into the ladies room. I took off my coat and looked myself in the mirror. Blonde hair, gray eyes—wet and rimmed with red.

_Why?_ I asked myself. _Was I not good enough? Is it really that hard to please my dad? _The girl's face in the mirror was now streaked with tears. _Would it be bad to see him smile because of me?_

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

I saw Luke getting in by his reflection. I wiped my cheeks.

"You do know you're not supposed to be inside the ladies' room, right?"

"Yes, but that can't stop me from comforting my little sister." I gave him a small smile. "When was the last time you planned to resign?"

"My birthday, October…two years ago."

"C'mon Annabeth, you know how he is."

I turned around to face him. "What if I cancel my trip to Santorini?"

"No!" But we were talking at the same time. "Because I still have loads of work to do."

"No. You are not postponing that trip again."

"But I cannot leave all my work behind. Dad will get mad again."

"The more reason for you to take a vacation. You need to relax to forget all your problems."

I tried to counter but he was on a roll. "And when you come back, that's when you decide if you will resign or not."

Silence.

"Trust me. Take the vacation."

* * *

><p>I hurriedly walked over to the reception table and wrote down my name on the log book. I put down a silver gift-wrapped box and talked to my phone.<p>

"Robert, just e-mail me all the reports, okay? I'll read it as soon as I get home tonight. Okay, And I'll promise you I'll reply to you before I go abroad."

Tonight was Katie and Travis' wedding and because of what happened earlier that day, I only got to attend the reception. I could already see people party inside through the glass doors.

"Robert, we need to cut costs—"

"Whoa!" My phone was snatched from my hand by a girl with choppy black hair.

"Sorry!" She laughed.

I tried to grab my phone but the girl pulled me inside to where the others were. "Thals! Thals, wait! Stop it! Thalia, give that back to me. That call is important."

But she just put the phone to her face and said, "Please don't call Annabeth for the next 3 hours. She's having fun with her friends." Then she hung up and said to our friends, "Guys, A's here!"

"Hi A!" Silena exclaimed delighted.

"Hey Annabeth!" Beckendorf said.

"Hi guys!" I told them, and went over to Katie and Travis.

"Congratulations!" I shouted. "Are you happy? I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you." Katie blushed and Travis kissed her cheek.

* * *

><p>The next 2 hours had been a blur. There were partying, dancing, eating, and stuff.<p>

Now, we were all seated around a table, talking about our lives. Unfortunately we had my lovelife as a subject.

"You know what Annabeth, I swear, if you're not my friend I would think that you have really given up on male species of the human race." Clarisse said.

"Or maybe it's them who have given up on her because of her busy lifestyle." Silena added. "Imagine, she's busier than my whole family, and we're part Chinese!"

"C'mon guys." I scoffed. "Silena, do you really think that I don't want to have a life outside of the office."

"Yeah!" They all said.

"Of course, I do!" They laughed and I continued. "Just that, I still have so many things to learn about the business. And you know how Dad is. He always gives me huge responsibilities. You guys know that!"

"Busy, busy, busy!" Clarisse sing-songed.

"Oh my gosh!" Thalia squealed.

"What?" I asked.

"You guys, oh my gosh! At 6 0'clock all the way to the back. Rachel Dare!"

We all stood up and looked at once. "Can you believe it?" Thalia asked. "Don't go look all at once!"

"You first." Clarisse whispered.

Thalia giggled. "Okay, one at a time." She turned around. When it was my turn, I saw Rachel wearing a green cocktail dress, flirting some random guy at the back while drinking wine.

"Is it true she just came out of rehab?" Silena asked.

"Really?" Clarisse asked too. "Why?"

"Oh, well but of course." Thalia said. "She was with the great _Percy Jackson_."

_Oh, so that's why…_

Thalia continued, "He broke her heart and she got hooked on drugs."

"Oh my god." I said in disbelief. "Your Percy Jackson really gives nothing but trouble."

Silena looked hurt. "Don't say that."

"And yet you defend him."

Clarisse interjected. "You know Annie, Percy is a nice guy. He's just misunderstood, really."

"Really? Tell me how a playboy can be nice?"

"He is."

I laughed humorlessly. "How can you even say that when all three of you had the same ending with him? Heartaches and heartbreaks, right?"

See, Thalia, Clarisse, and Silena all experienced dating Percy Jackson. And they all ended up with broken hearts. I told them to be careful with him, to not fall for him…but like any other girl they were head over heels for him. Time heals everything, though. So now, they're living their lives happily with their boyfriends (which, fortunately, aren't anything like Percy Jackson).

"After deceiving all of you, what happened? The three of you came to me crying because he left you without explaining why. "

"_He's sorry that he had to break up with me. It's been 3 months. He's just realized that although I'm the perfect girl, I'm just not the right girl for him." They all cried back then._

"_There, there." I comforted. "It's okay, sweetie."_

"_I want to die!"_

"Now you're telling me he's a good guy?"

"No really, Percy's a nice guy." Silena said while covering Beckendorf's ears. " In fact when we were together he was faithful."

"Actually, he's the perfect boyfriend." Clarisse said dreamily.

"What?" Chris exclaimed.

It took Clarisse a second to realize what she'd said. "Until I met you, babe!"

"Perfect until he breaks your heart." I corrected.

"As for me, I'm glad he's out of my life." Thalia said, giving Nico a kiss on the cheek.

"You guys, you, you, you, and you!" I pointed at their boyfriends. "Take good care of my friends okay? They deserve good guys who will respect them, take good care of them, and will fight for them."

"You know Annabeth, you can't compare us with that Percy guy or Ethan." Travis said, and I kept quiet and finished my glass of champagne.

"Who's Ethan?" I heard Beckendorf ask Silena.

"Annabeth's ex. The one who broke her heart."


	4. Chapter Three

_**Chapter Three**_

I went home exactly 21 minutes after that.

The lights were out when I opened the door. Maybe Josie's already in bed. Who cares, anyway? I just sat in the dining room and savoured the silence as much as I can and relived my past.

_**Flashback**_

"_Ethan, stop!" I said as tears streamed down my face. "Just stop, please!"_

"_Quiet!" He said. We were driving at a very high speed now. He turned the wheel abruptly and I banged my head on the window. "Ethan, please! You're drunk." _

"_No, we're having fun! The night's not yet over!" He laughed and continued to drive recklessly. We were almost hit by another car._

"_Ethan, just please—" I tried to calm down. "Stop. You're killing us both!" I got my phone and tried to ring my dad for help but he grabbed it. He took his eyes off the road to look at me. "What? Calling your daddy?" He laughed and caressed my cheek. "Do you really think he'll pick up after what you did, huh, Princess?"_

"_You're a monster!" I spat at him. He put back his hands on the wheel but his eyes were still on me, he laughed. And laughed, until it echoed in my head. I was only aware of the fast images that flashed on the windows. A sharp turn. Then a crash. And everything went black._

I didn't realize I was crying until someone turned on the lights. I turned my head and saw Josie wearing a ridiculous outfit of red and black fur, with a black suitcase.

"Nanny, why are you dressed like that?" I asked her.

She was surprised to see me sitting in the dining room, but spoke nonetheless. "Let's go. I'm excited to go to Greece."

"But we won't be leaving until tomorrow."

She looked hurt by that statement. "Annabeth, I waited so long to see Benjie. Don't make jokes like that. It's not funny." She started to tear up. "I'll wait for you outside. Hurry up."

She pulled her suitcase with her and made her way out. "Please."

"Suit yourself." I muttered and went to bed.

* * *

><p>"Hey Nanny, watch your step!" I called as I pushed our luggage cart which carried a total of four flower printed suitcases and a black one, to the arrival area. Josie was already two feet away from me and was struggling to walk in her black heels.<p>

"Hi, Greece!" She kept on saying. She sounded crazy and I was starting to consider leaving her. She saw a car pass by and ran to it, "There he is, there he is!"

"Nanny! Careful!" I called and pulled her away from the street. "I think we should just call a cab."

"No, Benjie's coming!"

"But the cab's just over there." I pointed to where the cab was.

"No!" she insisted.

"Okay, okay." I said before she goes out of her mind. A bike passed by and she almost ran after it. "Relax, relax!" I told her.

Two hours had passed and we were the only ones left in the arrival area. All the others had been picked up. "Nanny, are you sure you told Benjie that we're coming?" I asked as I sat on our luggage cart.

Josie was still dutifully standing and waiting for our ride. "Of course. How could I forget that?" She started to pace around. "I could forget anything else including you, but that, I will not forget."

I rolled my eyes. She could be such a drama queen sometimes. "Let's just wait for a few minutes more, okay?" she said and put some tissue between her arms.

"Nanny, we've been waiting here for 2 hours!" I fanned myself. "I could've finished loads of work."

"I'm sweating here, and all you could think about is your work."

"Maybe that pen pal of yours doesn't want to show up."

"Ouch!" she said. "Stop it, Annabeth! Don't say that. You're hurting my feelings." Just then a truck stopped in front of us and out came a man wearing khaki clothes. He smiled at me, "Josie?"

My nanny's head bobbed up at the sound of her name. "Josie?" the man said again. "Josie, it's me, Benjie!" He ran up to me."Benjie!" Nanny called.

The man, Benjie, made a detour and ran to Josie. "Yes, Josie?" They hugged each other and started to talk in a language that didn't exist.

* * *

><p>"Sorry for being late, Miss Annabeth." Benjie said as we drove away from the airport. "But time runs differently here in Greece." <em>I know.<em>

"Hey, that's beautiful!" I said when I saw a land form, clearly paying little attention to Benjie.

"Miss Annabeth, my life is indebted to you for bringing my sweetheart here in Santorini." He looked at the rear-view mirror. "My life is now complete. I can now die happily." _Ugh, talk about cheesy._

"What? We just came here. Don't die yet!" Josie blushed.

"Miss Annabeth, I assure you, my intentions for your nanny are pure and decent."

"Even if it's indecent, it's okay with me." Nanny joked.

"Ma'am, do you plan to stay long here in Santorini?" he asked.

"Just a week." I answered.

"Oh, it's not obvious with your baggage." He chuckled.

"Sorry sweetheart, Annabeth here is not very familiar with the word vacation." Josie said.

I tuned out their conversation. I wonder how long till we reach our destination; I mean I still have a ton of work to do. Wait—destination? I totally forgot about that…

"Benjie," I called

"Yes?"

"Are you sure it's okay with your boss that we stay at your place?"

"Oh yes, I'm very sure. Sir Alex is a good guy and he knows you're coming."

"Okay. That's good." _Hmm, I wonder who _Sir Alex _is. _I mentally slapped myself. _Stop it, Annabeth! You're not here for your love life! Remember, you've got work! Work, work, work!_

I sighed.

* * *

><p>The place was good. Like the other buildings in the city, it was white with a blue dome-shaped roof. It was two stories high with a geometric stairwell surrounding the house. A tavern was outside, and we sat on one of its wooden tables.<p>

"How long have you been working here?" I asked Benjie.

"8 years. I used to be a waiter and a cook." He said without taking his eyes off my nanny. "I just got promoted when Sir Alex started to manage the tavern."

"8 years?" I asked surprised. "When did you get promoted?"

"6 months ago, when the owner of the tavern died. Sir Stav left for Columbia. He found out that his first love, Ellen, got widowed." He said sadly. "He planned to close down the tavern to be with her."

"Then?"

"When Sir Alex found out that the tavern will be closed down, he felt sorry for us. So, he volunteered to manage the tavern."

"Oh, how romantic Stav and Ellen's story is." Nanny said dreamily. "Imagine, Stav waited for Ellen's husband to die then he left everything for her. That's so sweet!"

I looked at her weirdly. "Nanny, that's _not _sweet!" I shook my head. "He didn't care about Benjie and his other workers. Good thing there is _someone _who really cares for them."

"You know what Annabeth, when you fall in love, you will eat your words."

"Ah, no Nanny. I will not let that happen to me." I disagreed.

"You never can tell." They both said at the same time, which made them laugh.

I walked away from them and looked around my surroundings. "Beautiful!" I shouted, my arms extended. I sure hope to have a memorable experience here in Greece.


	5. Chapter Four

**A/N: Hi guys! This is my first Author's Note in this story, so…um…, nevermind.**

**Anyways, I just wanted to say thank you to AzianDemigod16, and all those who patiently read my crappy writing. And, to answer a question, Josie and Annabeth's nanny are the same. She just calls her nanny for respectfulness' sake. Also, I just celebrated my birthday yesterday and my recognition ceremony the day before, and I decided to post another chapter, which is this . Though this one's alittle short and not in Annabeth's point of view constantly, I might add. So if you get a light headache, my apologies.**

**Next is, I'm going to ask you if I should put my **_**signature commentary :)**_** in this story and the new one I'm going to publish by late April or early May, because it's kind of bugging me. I miss those little questions. And if I should update my other story "Supernatural", 'cause I already wrote the next chapter last month before I said I was discontinuing it, and I just didn't feel like uploading it. So yeah, tell me by reviewing.**

**Last but not the least, I just want to say that Louis Tomlinson is the best and that you should watch Spin the Harry by One Direction. Oh, and I belong to that crazy group of people that go by the name Directioners.**

**Read and Review.**

**x.o.x.o gossip girl**

_**Chapter Four**_

The sun was shining brightly when the yacht we were in reached the shore. I was on deck cruising the bay with some girl I met at a bar last night. I looked at the girl beside me who wore nothing but a blue see-through over her swimwear. She seemed to be asleep so I clamped my hand over her knee to wake her up. I helped her out the boat.

"_We'll talk later." _I said in Greek, and kissed her on the cheek.

Then we parted ways.

_ -Annabeth- _

I was going through my suitcases for something comfortable to wear when I found none. Instead, I found books, cosmetics, and bottles of beauty cream.

"Nanny, what are these? I thought I said to pack me some casual clothing?" I asked, clearly irritated. Josie was dressing up for her so called date with Benjie. I checked my other suitcase and found a blue designer dress.

"What am I going to use this for?" I said while holding up the dress.

She stopped from _beautifying _herself and looked at me weirdly. "Wait a second. Correct me if I'm wrong. Did you not tell me that we should always look beautiful?" I unbuttoned my blouse and fanned myself. It was hot! "What if you find some guy here in Santorini, and then you fall in love with him? Do you want him to see you looking like an old maid?"

I looked at her. "You know it's not my plan here in Greece to look for a long distance relationship. You know what I need to do?" I held up a book. "I need to think! I need to study and I need to rest!"

…

I was walking through the _long_ stairs in Santorini while talking over the phone.

"Grover, like what I've told you last week, I cannot joint you. I mean, if Regatta is far from New York, I won't hesitate to join. But if my mom finds out I'm just near Manhattan, she won't let me come back here."

"_Hi, Alex!" _Two girls said in Greek as I was passing by. I waved at them. _"Want to take us for a swim?"_

"_No, I'm sleepy." _I said in the same language. I'm very popular here, especially with the girls, all with my sea green eyes and six pack. _"But we'll talk at the party." _They nodded and went on their way. I trudged forward and talked back to Grover.

"You know what; you should try living here in Greece." I've reached the city, already. "Life here is simple, with delicious food and pretty ladies.

_-Annabeth-_

"I'm tired. I'll just stay here." I told Josie. "How about you? Aren't you tired yet?"

"I don't want to waste my time sleeping!" She yawned and made her way to the door. "Bye."

I looked her over and smirked. She wore a flowery blouse that reached mid-thigh and high heels. "Nanny, aren't you forgetting something?"

She looked around and grabbed her sunglasses. "Oh, yes. Good thing you told me. It's hot outside." She walked away again.

I sighed. "Nanny, you're still forgetting something."

"What else?" She wrinkled her nose. "Oh yeah, I stink. Let me use your cologne will you?"

"Mm-hmm."

She sprayed the cologne in front of her. "This is how you said I should put this, right?" Then she jumped to where she had sprayed the cologne. "Thanks, I'll go ahead."

I tried to suppress my laughter. "Really, I thought you that? You're good."

"Okay, I'll see you later."

"Nanny!" I shouted. Was she really that slow?

"What?" she shouted back in annoyance.

"Aren't you even going to wear pants?" I pointed at her bare legs.

She sighed in exasperation. "Is that it? No need. I'm wearing undies." And with that, she left me laughing histerically. _Oh my god, what will I do with her?_

…

_Knock, knock. _I was already at the tavern and all the doors and windows were locked. I tried knocking and calling out the housekeeper's name but all in no use. So I climbed the stairs outside and saw an open window beside a locked door. I reached my arm inside the window and moved my hands until I got hold of the knob and unlocked the door.

I took off my green sweater so I was wearing a black tank top and immediately lied down in the bed. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply for a while before opening them again. I tilted my head on the side and saw a girl with blonde hair open her eyes. It was startlingly grey and they got wide when she saw me.

"_What the—" _was the only thing I said before she hit me in the gut.


	6. Chapter Five

**A/N: Hi guys! I just want to say thank you to the lovely people who reviewed and put me on alert/favorites. And I also want to remind you to **_**please**_** answer my question on my previous note. I really need and want to know.**

**To AzianDemigod16: Yeah, and since then he received plenty of carrots. Now he has the keenest interest in women who like Lamborghinis :) LOL. **

**Also I noticed something on the previous chapter, I wrote "I **_**thought **_**you that?" instead of "I **_**taught you that?" **_**so sorry**_**. **_**And this is a special chapter, why? I'm not really sure, I guess it's because it was fun to write. You'll find out soon anyway. Other than that, Read and Review! **

**You know you love me.**

**x.o.x.o. gossip girl**

_**Chapter Five**_

The last thing I did before going to bed was to lock the door and close the curtains. I've left the windows open to let the fresh air in and to keep the room cool. Not once did it come into my mind that _someone would actually use the window as an opening to the room. _I thought wrong.

I was almost falling into a deep sleep when I felt the bed wave. I slowly opened my eyes and saw a pair of sea green eyes…familiar sea green eyes.

"What the—" he started.

But I didn't let him finish, instead I acted on impulse and elbowed him in the gut. He yelled in pain and sat upwards. I learned self-defence when I was fourteen. Luke thought that _the prettiest girl _(his words, not mine) should know how to defend herself from bad guys so he personally trained me. He also taught me archery when I reached sixteen (I really don't know why). And I never thought I needed them until now.

"Rapist! Maniac!" I screamed at him getting up from bed.

"Hey, wait, wait!" he protested but I paid no attention. This guy was, sorry _is, _a world-class jerk. I kicked him in the face and punched his arm.

"You're sick!" I screamed at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, if you think I will rape you—" I twisted his arm and threw him towards the wall.

He pointed a finger at me. "I'm not that drunk and I'll have you pay for what you're doing!" I pushed him over the bed and he rolled to get to the other side of the room. I grabbed the nearest thing to me—a 600 pages hard-bound Business Management Book and threw it at him. My aim was perfect (thanks Luke!) and it hit him at the back of his head. He fell unconscious a second after the blow.

* * *

><p>I tied the jerk into a blue wooden chair I found in the room with a blanket. After I made sure he was securely tied, I grabbed my phone from my bedside and pressed speed dial.<p>

"Nanny, where are you?" I asked, scared.

"Annabeth, make sure this is important. Because if it's not—"

"Nanny, a maniac broke into my room!"

"What?" she half-shrieked.

"Come here! Hurry!" I pleaded.

I could hear her talking to her date. "We need to go home! Hurry!" I could almost hear her drag Benjie from the collar of his shirt. Then she hung up.

Eight minutes passed and the green eyed jerk was starting to gain consciousness. I never put down my defensive crouch when his eyes fluttered open.

"You—" he started to say but the door was opened and hit his chair causing him and the chair to fall face-first on the floor.

"Annabeth, who did you kill?" Nanny asked quickly as she entered the room and ran to my side, completely unaware of my captive. She too crouched defensively. But when Benjie entered and saw the man he immediately ran to his side and undid the blanket knots.

"Benjie, help me here." He seemed to say.

Nanny looked at the man for the first time. "Who is that?" she asked me. "Who is he?"

"Miss Annabeth, don't you know who he is?" Benjie asked me nervously.

"That is the worthless ex-boyfriend of every girl in the whole world!" I screamed. "Of all the unfortunate things to happen!"

"He is Sir Alex. My boss, the manager." He stammered.

My eyes widened. "That is your manager?" I asked in disbelief. "Impossible! He's a cheater! Do you know how many girls cried because of that man?"

"Many."

"Yes, _many!_ And his name is not Alex." I said as a matter of fact. "_Percy Jackson_."

"Really?" Benjie and Nanny said in the same time. Benjie turned to the jerk again. "Sir, are you okay? Sir?"

But instead of answering he glared at me. "I don't know which hurts more, the book you threw at me, or your insults."

I glared back. "Well, I'm only telling the truth!"

He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled. "Yes, that's true." He admitted. "But _you have never been my girlfriend_ so you have no right to kill me!"

That shut me up. _Well, I didn't think of that, did I? _Nanny decided to interrupt. "Really? You haven't been his girlfriend?" I didn't answer, but still kept my position. She put down my arms. "Put those down. You look stupid."

Percy just looked at me annoyed. I glared at him and blew the hair out of my face.

* * *

><p><em>-Percy-<em>

"Is she really that rude?" I asked Josie while putting an ice box in my head since we didn't have a cold compress. Annabeth was cooling off on her own and I was in the kitchen with Benjie and Josie, who were both leaning in my supersized fridge.

"Oh no, Annabeth is a good girl. She's nice and sweet." She defended her. "Sir Alex, Percy. Wait, what shall I call you?" she asked. "What's your real name anyway?"

"Perseus Alexander." I said and adjusted the ice box. "But the people here prefer to call me Alex."

I heard angry footsteps and saw Annabeth make her way towards us. I must admit she looked really hot all with her blonde locks and grey eyes, not to mention her black tank top which hugged her curves. She looked at me angrily then turned to Josie. "Nanny, let's go." She walked away from the kitchen.

I looked at her weirdly. "Why? I'm not telling you to go."

She spun around and met my eyes. "Seeing the turn of events, I think it would be best if we will just go and look for another hotel to stay in."

I raised an eyebrow. "Where will you go?"

"Nanny," she hissed at Josie, obviously wanting to leave.

"Just stay here." I put a finger under her chin in a flirty way but she moved her head away and stepped back. "Let's just forget about what happened. It's peak season, you won't find a place to stay."

"No, thank you." She said trying to be calm.

"Annabeth, it is an insult here in Greece to decline a kind hospitality like this." I smiled at her.

"Look, Mr. Jackson it's enough torture that we are in the same country. I don't want to torture myself more and stay under one roof with you." She turned to Josie then walked away.. "Nanny, let's go!"

"Suit yourself." I muttered.

I could hear Josie and Benjie say their goodbyes. "—I cannot leave her alone. I'm her nanny."

"Nanny!" Annabeth called when she saw that she didn't follow.

"—You are the real reason I came here." Annabeth had already dragged her away

"Sweetheart, sweetheart!" Benjie called after them.

"Let's go look for another place to stay." I heard Annabeth say.

"Sweethaeart!" But they were out of sight. Benjie opened the fridge and got another ice box to put to his head. I walked over to him. "Cold?"

"Cold." He whinned.

_Well, that's how girls are… But did I mention I like _feisty _girls?_


	7. Chapter Six

**A/N: OhMyGod! Alex is blonde! Umm…, sorry.**

**I'd like to say thank you again to all my lovely reviewers. All your reviews mean a lot to me. Anyways, Alex is blonde! Like blonde **_**blonde.**_** Which is good so she'll look more like Annabeth, but I really like her old hair . I'm not used to her being BLONDE. Also, Paloma Kwiatkowski, Douglas Smith, Anthony Head and Nathan Fillion have joined the cast. Okay, enough of that. Here's the thing, I'm having trouble writing the next two chapters, which isn't good because I'm sure as hell, they're all what you're waiting for. And I want it to be good. So, I need all your support by reviewing. I really don't want to do this but…never mind. I need to gain at least seven or more reviews before I post the next chapter, so read on and click the blue button below.**

**You know you love me.**

**.x.o gossip girl **

_**Chapter Six**_

Okay, call me stupid for all I care, but there is no way am I living with Percy Jackson.

As soon as I got my nanny out of the kitchen, I started to pack our things. I changed into a strapless pink dress that reached my ankles while Nanny muttered stuff about love and luck. We left after we made sure we didn't leave anything behind.

The trek away from the tavern to find a hotel with vacancy was long and steep. I've almost fallen down the stairs once or twice, considering the two large luggage and my Gucci bag I was pulling behind. We've already visited almost all the inns there were in Santorini but all were full. And in every inn, I was like _"Let's look for another one. I am not going back to the tavern. No, nuh-uh."_

I was getting tired so I stopped in a corner. After we settled all five bags in a corner, I phoned Thalia.

"Hello Annabeth? How's your vacation?" She said cheerily. She must've been outside since I heard a car door close. "Did you find yourself a guy?"

"Thals, do you know who the boss of Josie's pen pal is?" I said like I haven't gotten over it yet. Well, I really haven't, so… "It's Percy!"

"Percy? As in Perseus Alexander Jackson, my ex?" She sounded excited. _Gosh, Thalia._

"Your ex, Silena's ex, Clarisse's ex, Katie's ex, everybody's ex!" I shouted, thus, earning a few glances from passers-by. I leaned onto a wall with a beige-ish color.

"Is he still cute?" I heard someone scoff on the phone. Must be Nico, I thought.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh my god, Thalia! He's still conceited, still vain, still self-important!"

"A, he's not that bad." I could hear the clicking of heels over the phone. "Well, you're in a romantic place with him so we'll never know." She giggled. I was ready to kill her.

"Oh no, no ,no, no, no!" I rubbed my cheeks. "I don't even know why I'm here in Santorini! And I swear, in front of this wall with the same color of my scar that all the foolishness that happened to all of you will not happen to me."

Thalia laughed. "Just enjoy, sweetie."

"You know what, I'll call you later." Just talking about the guy made me sick. "I'm having a bad day!" I said as I shouldered my shoulder bag.

"Okay." I heard elevator music before she hung up.

I looked at Josie who was sitting on one of our bags. "Let's go! Hurry up!" She said. I really don't want to go back there but we don't have a choice. Ugh, I swear this day couldn't get any worse.

"Are you satisfied now, nanny? Are you?" I glared at her. "C'mon." And we started to trek again. But this time, back to the tavern.

* * *

><p>It was already dark when we finally reached the tavern and we were freezing. Percy Jackson was sitting outside waiting for us. He was wearing a black and yellow long sleeve, jeans, and his feet were propped against the railings. His face looked smug. I rolled my eyes.<p>

"Sir Alex," Nanny started." Can we just stay here again?"

"I told you so." He put his feet down and looked directly at me. "Sure, in one condition though. I want to hear Annabeth say 'please'". Okay forget it. I'm not saying it, not to him.

Nanny drew closer to me. "Annabeth, let go of your pride. Say please. I'm so tired and it's so cold. I feel like an ice drop." I yawned and she put her head on my shoulder muttering "please, please." I turned around and let her head fall. But she grabbed my shoulders and faced me to Percy. I closed my eyes. This was one of her crazy ideas whenever I was headstrong.

She started to move my face and my hands like I was a puppet and talked. "Please. Is it okay if we stay here in your place? Hihihi. Okay?" She finished.

I opened my eyes and Percy started laughing. _Cute._

Wait—_what?_

_-Percy-_

I know most people would think I'd start to make a move on Annabeth tonight, which I probably will, but no. There's just something about her that makes me want to know her more. So as soon as she went to their room, I texted Grover to research about a certain Annabeth Chase.

We were now having dinner in the kitchen. Food was placed on the circular table while we stood around it since there were no chairs. Annabeth was nibbling absently on a piece of bread while reading a magazine. I shoved a French fry on my mouth and studied her. She had her hair tied on a ponytail and she wore a blue dress that reached her knees. Almost everything looked perfect except for the little scar on her arm.

"What's this?" I asked as I touched her scar. She jerked her arm away and scowled at me.

"You have a lot of nerves, huh?"

"Why did you just do that?"

"Because I've already mastered your rotten style." She said as she bit into her piece of bread. I decided to play along with her. "Style? What style?"

"That." She motioned to me. "You'll approach the girl you like, you'll stand on her left, then you'll talk to her for a bit, flirt with her for a bit, and then what? What's next? You'll hold her hand and in just a short while you already have her fooled. She's already your girlfriend without even courting her."

I sipped some wine. "Wow, how did you know that?" I asked sounding amused. "I don't remember dating you."

"Date me? Huh, you wish!"

"Okay, so how did you become an expert on my style?"

"How do I know?" She closed her magazine and faced me. "Because you have everybody's boyfriend, Percy!"

"Everybody but you!" I smirked. "So that's why you're so mad huh?"

"Excuse me!" She rolled her eyes. "Tell me, what do you really get out of breaking the hearts of all those girls, huh?"

"What are you saying? I hate break-ups." I frowned. "It's not a good feeling when you know you've broken a girl's heart."

"Then don't hurt them, Percy. It's that simple!" she said. "You know, you don't even stay long enough in a relationship to make it work! It's not just about feelings."

"Aha!" I said raising my hands. "That's why I didn't court you. 'Cause you're no fun, Annabeth. No fun!"

"Like I said, I never ever dreamt of being your girlfriend!" I laughed at her.

"Ha! Deny, deny, deny!" I sang. Icould tell that I had gotten under her skin.

"You're so conceited—"

"It's okay—"

"I cannot handle you're vanity!" She screamed at me.

"You shouldn't deny it."

She poked my cheek. "See, so big-headed, and conceited, and vain, and arro—" she was cut hort by Josie who shoved a large piece of bread into her mouth. "Here," she said "eat this bread, fresh from the oven. Lord, thank You for a peaceful day You have given us here in Santorini."

Annabeth made a choking noise and I laughed at her until Benjie shoved a burrito in my mouth too and continued the prayer. "We are so very happy that Annabeth and Percy are sonice to each other."

Annabeth glared at me and exited the room.

"Come, let's eat. No one is fighting. Thank you!" Josie said.

"_Amen."_


	8. Chapter Seven

**A/N: Hi guys! I am so sorry for the late update. I was planning to post this earlier but I fell in love with Annie and Finnick and my laptop got confiscated. And I still am going through a lot since I learned Finnick's fate in Mockingjay, and I'm sorta mad at Suzanne Collins for it. But at least, he was a hero in the end and they had a beautiful son. But still…it hurts so much. **sobs** I knew it was a bad idea to get attached to those two. Some of you may think I did it on purpose. But then again, who falls in love on purpose? **

**But please, don't get mad at me. I stopped **cough**shipping**cough** them about two weeks ago, and I started working on three new stories of which I will be posting one after the other when this story is complete :). And because God blessed me with a creative imagination and inspiration for the past few days, I might as well share my thoughts to you guys and update, because I love you all :). **

**Also, I also want to express my deepest gratitude to all the people who took the time to read and review this story. If it wasn't for your reviews, I might as well be drowning myself in depression for a fictional character's death that found a space in my heart. **

**And since I'm writing a bunch of new stories and this at the same time (yeah, my mind's that crazy) I'm going to ask you which I should focus on and post first. Here are my babies and their summaries:**

**Every Breath You**** Take – Once upon a time, before Romeo met Juliet, man(kind) and music fell in love. They gave birth to lots of stars, each one as special and unique as the other. But one star stood out of them all—the youngest and the brightest. Her name was Annabeth Chase. But unlike Romeo and Juliet, she's got trouble finding her heart's true desire.**

**Strangers in Paradise**** – Every girl dreams of being Annabeth Chase—Queen Bee, high school sweetheart, and elite. Being the belle of two different worlds, Annabeth struggles meet life's expectations and find true love.**

**My Kingdom for a Kiss**** – A story of a kingdom that yearns for its rightful heiress; of a girl who unintentionally finds her true identity; and of a boy who unknowingly helps the daughter of his father's arch enemy find her way to the throne and to his heart.**

**Okay, so tell me by reviewing. **

**And lastly, I know some of you are dying to see what happens with Annabeth and Percy's relationship. Don't worry; Percabeth is on its way.**

**Read and Review.**

**x.o.x.o. gossip girl**

_**Chapter Seven**_

You can never really savour Greece without its literature; which is so ironic for me since I really didn't know much of it. I never really had much interest in that stuff; I prefer their architecture, so now's the perfect time to change that.

After my fruitless trek and my argument with Percy the day before, I admit that I got pretty pissed off. I spent the night reading phone directories and feeling sorry for myself until I fell into a slumber. I woke up and changed into some halter back top and denim shorts and went out, not even bothering to have some breakfast.

I walked around Greece occasionally taking snapshots here and there and finally stopping to a small bookstore. It was a white and blue building like the others, nothing impressive, but a small blue sign was attached to the wall. It read Βιβλιοπωλείο Ατλαντίδα and a translated _Atlantis Books_ below. **(for those who are wondering, yes, it's a real place)** I walked in and started browsing the wooden shelves for appealing books. I was going through the biography of Appolonius of Rhodes when my phone rang.

_Luke_, the LCD read. Maybe something happened in the office. God, I knew going here was a bad idea. I quickly put the book in the counter and pressed the phone to my ears. "Luke, what's wrong?"

"I missed you too." He said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes though he can't see me.

"Seriously, Luke?"

"Nothing, nothing's wrong." He laughed and I quickly paid for my purchase. "I just wanted to check on you. How's Josie's pen pal? Is he a good man?"

"I thought something's wrong." I muttered and walked away from the bookstore but not before passing Percy and a couple of guys talking in a corner. I changed route and walked in a different direction, away from them. "Yes, he's okay. And I miss you too."

"Aww, my little sister's missing me. I'm flattered."

"Shut up." I mumbled with a smile on my face.

"Oh, and while you're there can you get me something? I sent it to your e-mail."

"I'm going to definitely look," I said and walked into a little café, and onto the rooftop. As soon as I got a table by the terrace, I trashed the table with my stuff. My phone rang and the LCD read: _Robert._ _Okay, what now? _I thought Luke just said for me to relax before he hung up. Reluctantly, I picked up my phone and pressed receive.

_-Percy-_

"_Hey, Alex!" _Someone shouted from a corner. I turned around and saw my friends, Marco and Phil.

"_Hey! What's up?" _I said as I walked up to them. Marco and Phil were my closest friends in Santorini. They knew everything about my gigs and girls.

"_So, did you talk with Kaitoula?"_ Marco asked. I was about to answer "no", when I caught a glimpse of blonde hair and saw Annabeth pass by. Phil saw this and smirked. _"A new prospect for Mr. Alex?"_

"_I'll talk to you guys later."_ I said and followed Annabeth while keeping a distance since she'd probably beat me up again if she sees me stalking her. After walking for about five minutes or so, she finally stopped to a little coffee shop. Coincidentally, it was my favourite. I walked in, and was instantly greeted by the waiter.

"_How are you, Alex?" _he asked. I looked around for a certain blonde and so none, so I walked upstairs.

"_Fine. Can I have two cups of Greek coffee?"_

As we were climbing up the stairs, I heard a familiar voice. I smiled. _"Robert, it's just a little time difference. Why does it feel like I'm still the one doing your schedule and your job, instead of planning my own schedule here?"_Annabeth sat near the end of the building and was looking at the horizon with a bedazzled blackberry pressed to her ears, and—um—a table scattered with office stuff.

"_Of course, coming in two minutes." _The waiter said. I walked over to Annabeth's table and took a seat across from her, after putting her bag on the table. _"With a little sugar?"_

Annabeth turned and almost jumped when she saw me and quickly ended her call. "Why are you here?" she frowned.

"You're going to love the coffee here." She ignored me and started to write on a little tickler. "You really don't like me, huh?" it sounded more like a statement than a question. I managed to keep my face cool, but deep inside I was sad.

Annabeth looked up from her notebook. "Mm-hmm."

I fiddled with her phone on the table but she snatched it from me without even looking. "Don't worry; you'll like me before you go home."

"Dream on!" she said and finally looked at me. "Aren't you going home? What are you doing here?"

"Nothing." _To spend time with you, actually._

"Aren't you going to open the tavern today?" _What's this, twenty questions?_

I looked at the horizon. "No, I have no plans of opening the restaurant today." I said, "Plus, I don't really need to earn anything yet."

"_You._ But how about your employees?" she asked as she typed something on her phone and went back to writing.

"Those guys will return when they need the money already." I said bored. "For the rest of the time, they can do whatever they want to do." I leaned forward, "Just like me. They can _have _a life."

"It's pointless that you have volunteered to manage the tavern if you don't have plans of making it profitable." She started to twirl her pen around her fingers like a baton. "It's your responsibility to your employees and their families to make the restaurant generate income."

I raise my eyebrows at her. "You know what, that's just like the article I read about you last night on the internet."

That got her. She looked at me like I just dropped from space.

"Yeah. I did a bit of research about you last night." The waiter went back with the coffee and set it near us. "I even called my friends back in Manhattan and I asked about you," if it was possible, her face even got whiter. "_Annabeth Cornelia Chase_."

"You didn't tell them I was staying in the same house as you, right?" she demanded "Right?"

"No, of course not. I don't want people to gossip that I'm hitting on you." I said. "_Bad._"

This seemed to calm her a bit. I looked over her tickler and grabbed it. She tried to snatch it from me but I held it high. As soon as I read it, I realized it was a planner.

"What's this? What are your plans in Greece?" I asked. "Let me see...Plans while in Greece."

I read it and saw it was still about work. "Return call to Juniper regarding schedule..." it was the only thing written but I continued just to piss her. "buy souvenirs, work on project, find a greek, talk to a greek, eat greek salad, stand up during flag ceremony, follow the rules, follow the straight line, die a virgin." I finished and closed her notebook. "Annabeth, have you ever living your life to the fullest without having a plan?"

She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Meaning, if I've tried live my life like yours?"

I looked at her straight in the eyes. "Look, let _me_ be your vacation."

"I'm sorry—"

"Just go along with whatever I say."

"Not that I'm being rude or anything..."

"No rules,"

"But you might get offended,"

"No questions asked—"

"But _I_ don't want to go with you."

"Just an adventure for today." I finished.

"Why are you doing this?" she snapped. "What do you get out of this?"

"If you go along with whatever I want to do today, for the next 24 hours, I promise you, you will not see me again."

"So what?" she raised her eyebrows like she thought I was just joking.

"I will not even sleep in the tavern so we can't see each other. You will not hear my voice, you will not see me, you will not even smell me even when you want to."

Her expression still didn't change. I sighed. "I have an idea." I said. "Let me borrow your pen."

"Stop it."

"Wait..." I said taking her pen and her notebook.

"_I, Perseus Alexander Jackson" _I said with each word I wrote. "_will not court or even be seen by Annabeth Cornelia Chase here in Greece" _ I thought for a second. "_Of legal age, signed Percy J." _

I ended and wrote my signature.

"Just put your signature there, and it's a done deal." I said and Annabeth looked like she was reconsidering, which was good.

She moistened her lips. "All right. If that's what you want." She grabbed the pen from me and signed the paper. "_Annabeth Cornelia Chase."_

She beamed up at me."So where are we going?"

I smiled. This was going to be the best day of my life.


	9. A matter of life and death

**A/N: Before anything else, I'd like to say: YOU'RE WELCOME!**

**While on tour for The Serpent's Shadow, Rick Riordan read a section of the first chapter of The Mark of Athena out loud to the audience. **

**Now I want lots of reviews before I post my next chapter, but that'll take a while since I'm still hyped up with this.**

**Read and review! You can thank me later!**

**You know you love me.**

**x.o.x.o. gossip girl**

Chapter 1:

Until she met the exploding statue, Annabeth thought she was prepared for anything. She paced the deck of the Argo II, checking and double checking the ballistics to make sure they were locked in on. She confirmed that the white flag was flying from the mast. She reviewed the plan with the rest of the crew. And the back-up plan, and the back-up plan for the back-up plan.

Most importantly, she pulled aside their war crazed chaperone, Gleeson Hedge, and encouraged him to take the morning off in his cabin watching reruns of a mixed martial arts championship. The last thing they needed, flying a Greek trireme into a potentially hostile Roman camp, was a middle-aged satyr in gym clothes waving a club and yelling "DIE!".

Everything seemed to be in order. Even that mysterious chill that she'd been feeling since the ship launched seemed to have dissipated. At least for now.

The warship descended from the clouds but Annabeth couldn't stop second guessing herself. What if this was a bad idea? What if the Romans panicked and attacked on sight? The Argo II definitely did not look friendly. Two hundred feet long with a bronze hull, flaming metal dragon for a mast head, mounted repeating crossbows that could fire explosive bolts powerful enough to blast through concrete. Well, it wasn't the most appropriate ride for a meet and greet with the neighbors.

Annabeth had tried to give the Romans a heads up. She'd asked Leo to send one of his special inventions, a holographic scroll, to alert their friends inside their camp. Hopefully the message had gotten through. Leo had wanted to paint a giant message on the bottom of the hull, "Wazzup?" and a smiley face, but Annabeth had vetoed the idea. She wasn't sure the Romans had a sense of humor.

Too late to turn back now. The clouds broke around the hull, revealing the golden green carpet of the Oakland hills below them. Annabeth gripped one of the bronze shields that lined the starboard railing. Her three crewmates took their places.

On the stern quarterdeck, Leo brushed around like a madman, checking his gauges and levers. Most helmsmen would have been satisfied with a pilot's wheel or a rudder. Leo had installed a keyboard monitor aviation controls from a leer jet and dubstep soundboard and the motion control sensors from a Nintendo Wii. He could fire the ship by pulling on the throttle or fire the weapons by sampling an album or raise the sails by shaking his Wii controllers really fast. Even by demigod standards, Leo was seriously ADHD.

Piper paced back and forth behind the main mast, practicing her lines. "Lower your weapons," she murmured, "we just want to talk."

Her Charmspeak was so powerful the words flowed over Annabeth, filling her with the desire to drop her dagger and have a nice long chat. For a child of Aphrodite, Piper tried really hard to play down her beauty. Today she was dressed in tattered jeans, worn out sneakers, and a white tank top with pink Hello Kitty designs. Maybe a joke? Though Annabeth really could never tell with Piper. Her choppy brown hair was braided down the right side with an eagle's feather.

And then there was Piper's boyfriend, Jason. He stood at the bow on a raised crossbow platform where the Romans could easily spot him. His knuckles were white on the hilt of his sword. Otherwise he was pretty calm for a guy who was making himself a target. Over his jeans and his orange Camp Half Blood T-shirt, he had donned a toga and a purple cloak, symbols of his old rank as praetor. With his wind ruffled blond hair and his icy blue eyes, he looked ruggedly handsome and in control, just like son of Jupiter should. He'd grown up at Camp Jupiter, so hopefully his familiar face would make the Romans hesitate to blow them out of the sky.

Annabeth tried to fight it, but she didn't completely trust this guy. He acted too perfect, always following the rules, always doing the honorable thing. He even looked too perfect. In the back of her mind, she kept thinking 'maybe this was a trick and he betrayed us. What if we sail into Camp Jupiter and he says, "Hey, Romans! Check out these prisoners and this cool ship I brought you."

Annabeth didn't think he would do that, but still. She couldn't look at him without getting a bitter taste in her mouth. He'd been part of Hera's forced exchange program between the two camps. Without warning, Hera had plucked up Percy Jackson, Annabeth's boyfriend, wiped his memory and sent him to this Roman camp. In exchange, the Greeks got Jason. None of that was Jason's fault, but every time Annabeth looked at him, she remembered how much she missed Percy.

Percy, who might be below them right now.

Oh god. Panic welled up inside her. "I'm a child of Athena," she said to herself, "I have to stick to my plan and not get distracted."

Then she felt it again, that familiar shiver, as if an evil snowman had crept up right behind her and was breathing down her neck. She turned but no one was there. It must be her nerves. Annabeth wished she could pray to her mother for help, but now that was impossible. Not this last month since she'd had a horrible encounter with her mom and had gotten the worst present of her life.

The cold pressed closer. She thought she heard a voice in the wind, laughing. Every muscle in her body tensed. She knew something was about to be terribly wrong. She almost ordered Leo to reverse course. And then, in the valley below, horns sounded.

The Romans had spotted them.

**Now review!**


	10. Chapter Eight

**A/N: Thank you for your wonderful reviews people! I am so sorry for disappearing just like that but I do have a busy schedule. So, to make it up to you guys, here's what we've all been waiting for: a small dose of Percabeth! **

**Nope? Well, we can't rush Percy and Annabeth, can we? It would ruin the plot. Good news is that Major Percabeth is on its way. But right now, just enjoy this little Percy/Annabeth moment. And who knows, if we get a fair amount of reviews then **_**maybe **_**we could speed them up a little? You know, all it takes is a little nudge from Gossip Girl… **

**After all, they're nothing here without me. Or is it the other way around? **

**Nevertheless, you know you love me!**

**x.o.x.o.**

**gossip girl**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or anything you might recognize from somewhere.**_

_**Chapter Eight**_

As soon as Annabeth agreed, I grabbed her hand and ran outside the café, but not before leaving some money on the table.

I helped her mount my blue motorcycle and I drove off. The weather was nice today—perfect for a stroll and pretty much everything. There are lots of beautiful landscapes here in Santorini and the caldera was my favourite. I was thinking of bringing her there at twilight so she could see and be mesmerized by the sunset but right now, I planned to give her the best Greek experience of her life.

"So, why did you go here in Greece?" I asked as I drove through the narrow road.

"Oh, it was actually my brother's idea." She said. "He gave me plane tickets for my birthday."

"It's your birthday?"

"No," she laughed and it sounded like Christmas bells "my birthday's on October. I didn't use it because of work then, actually I have more work now but the tickets were about to expire…"

"You mean, you're still waiting to get cancer before going on vacation?" I joked as we neared our first destination: the pier. I parked the bike and helped Annabeth dismount.

"I guess so." She shrugged. "Where are we?"

"The pier," I said, walking over the wooden plank. The water lapped gently and sparkled under the sun. Seagulls swooped in and out. "Isn't it lovely?"

"It's wonderful." She breathed.

I smiled at her reaction. And as I watched her subconsciously, I realize just how beautiful she was. I felt something spark inside me, starting a light fire. I didn't know what it was, the feeling was totally alien to me but I liked it. The sensation was nice and warm, like soft honey and bread or marshmallows and hot chocolate, only it was a thousand times nicer. But one thing's for sure, it wasn't _love. _But then again, I _never _truly felt it before, so how would I know?

"What?" Annabeth asked, breaking my train of thought.

"Excuse me?"

"You're looking at me funny."

"Oh," I muttered. "Let's just go. The boat's waiting for us."

"What boat?" she asked, surprised.

I owned a little yacht which I rode when I felt like it and I thought Annabeth would like it that's why I brought her here. "We're going boating." I smiled at her then grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the boat.

* * *

><p>The afternoon passed quickly or maybe I just didn't notice time fly. After cruising the lake with Annabeth and showing her a brief view of the caldera from there, I gave her a tour of the city starting from the bottom of the acropolis and uphill riding a donkey. Then we stopped at the local art shop and painted. Annabeth did a beautiful abstract while I drew a stick version of her using crayons. She found it hilarious. And now I'm at a souvenir shop wandering idly while she explored and admired the displays.<p>

Annabeth came to me carrying a paper bag filled with goodies. The end of a green scarf peeked out from it. "Okay…, so, are we ready to go?"

"Yeah. Sure." I said and motioned for her to walk first. But something caught my eye as I was walking past a column of accessories. A little blue lace with a glittered blue and gray star in the middle hung in one of the hooks. It was simple but it looked extraordinarily beautiful and it matched Annabeth's eyes.

"Hey, why don't you wait for me outside. I forgot to buy something." I called out to her. She nodded and exited the store. I made a quick purchase of the bracelet and went out too.

I walked towards her as she looked on the horizon and lifted her hand. "Belated happy birthday." I told her while I tied the bracelet around her wrists. A small smile danced in her lips.

"Thank you."

I shook my head. "It's nothing. I just thought it would be nice to get you something as a very late birthday present, and besides I think it matches your eyes perfectly." Whoa. Where did all that come from?

She met my gaze and her smile became more evident. I realized that her face was inches away from mine. Her blond locks looked golden in the afternoon sun and her eyes sparkled like stars. And her full lips looked really luscious making me want to close the small distance between us.

She shook her head. "Still…thank you all the same." She said and walked away before I could do anything stupid.

* * *

><p>After that little moment we had (or more like I had), we sat on the ground outside the plaza using the scarf Annabeth bought to shield us from the sun. I, being the gentleman that I was, held it high above our heads. Well, not really. I simply draped it around us and rested my arm on Annabeth's shoulder using the scarf as an excuse. For passers-by, we looked like your average love struck couple. I smiled at the thought and found it somewhat cute. Annabeth apparently didn't because she started up a conversation about one of my ex's.<p>

"No" I shook my head. "I broke up with her because she got hooked on drugs. Not her getting hooked on drugs because of me breaking up with her."

Annabeth stared at my face like she was waiting for something to twitch. She poked my cheek and said "lie".

"What?! Don't tell me you trust Rachel's story more than me." I feigned being hurt. Well, I was a little, actually.

"No." she said as she absently fingered her new bracelet. "I just don't believe yours."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "And that is because…?"

"Well, I don't think it's rational to trust someone who managed to break all of your girlfriends' hearts in less than seven months, on his story about his break up with one of his ex's." She said as a matter of fact.

"You have a point. But still…I don't think that's enough for you not to trust me."

"You got it wrong Percy." She said and didn't meet my gaze "The truth is I do trust you. At least, I am trying to."

"And that's something I should be grateful for?"

"Yes. Most definitely." She smiled.

"Okay." I said and we watched people pass by in silence. It wasn't the same loathing one we always shared, it wasn't all that comfortable yes, but it wasn't awkward either. And I realized that Annabeth wasn't really such a bitch and that we could actually get along.

Somewhere in the middle of that uncategorized silence, "So…are we friends now?"

She didn't even look at me. She just thought for a while and let out a small sigh like she just had a mini battle inside her. "Maybe."

It wasn't a yes but there was hope. Hope that we could finally end our 'war' and there would be no need for a truce which was messing with my head right now.

I never really looked at Annabeth as a friend much less someone I could be intimate with for me to share my feelings. Just twenty-seven hours ago, she was just some girl who didn't fall for all the efforts I exerted to get her to like me; she was merely just a challenge. But now…I'm starting to think wrong. She was different. She was unlike all the girls who fell under my spell and whose hearts I ended up breaking. She was different because unlike them, she managed to spark something inside me. I didn't know what it was, but I was willing to find out. And I would be even more willing if I could find out with her by my side.

That little 'maybe' from her was a start of something good, maybe even hopeful. And that pretty much made the rest of my day.


End file.
